The present invention relates to a holding mechanism for a camera provided with an operational unit including a plurality of components of the camera assembled therein and disposed on one side of a taking lens barrel of the camera.
Recent cameras are provided with a strobe, a display unit, a large battery as a driving source and the like required for an operation of the camera. Thus traditional style camera shapes having only a lens projecting outwardly at the center thereof are difficult to maintained. Thus various types of styles of cameras not restricted to the traditional style have been proposed and used. One of these types, which has been relatively widely used, is provided with an operational unit integrally formed with a lens-barrel at one side thereof. The operational unit includes one or more operational components such as a strobe, a battery, a display unit and the like. In this type of the camera, however, a grip by which an operator holds the camera is provided at the side opposite to the side where the operational components are mounted, regardless of the heavy components such as the taking lens, the strobe, the battery and like that are integrally assembled there. More specifically, since the heavy components are located at a position spaced apart from the grip, a large moment is imposed on the grip when a camera is held. Thus the camera cannot be securely held, contrary to the advertisements that it can be held by one hand. Further, as illustrated in FIG. 1, although a type of camera having an operational unit "K" used as a grip is known, a heavy taking lens barrel "L" is also located at a position spaced apart from the grip, and thus this camera is also unbalanced in weight and not securely held. In particular, when the camera is held for a long time, a load is imposed on the wrist of an operator and thus the operator becomes tired. Therefore, when a photographing operation is carried out by a single hand using a camera having the operational unit mounted on one side of the taking lens barrel thereof, a problem arises in that camera shaking is liable to be caused.